Katie Sautter is a postdoctoral appointee who works with the Materials Science division (MSD) at Argonne National Laboratory and with Q-NEXT to build materials at the atomic level for quantum computer memory.

From a young age, Katie loved science the most out of her classes, and she was always excited whenever scientists came to her school for demos. However, she also enjoyed the arts and humanities, so at first she wasn’t sure what to aim for in her studies and career. ​“I definitely did not have a straight line to where I’m at today,” she said. She switched between polymer science and ceramics before interning at National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Colorado the summer before her senior year of college.

“I was surrounded by a highly motivated and friendly team, working on high-efficiency solar cell materials. I loved that job, and I wanted that career,” she said about her internship at NREL. ​“Before going to NREL, I didn’t know whether to get a job immediately after my undergraduate degree or to continue for a Master’s. I never once dreamed of getting a PhD – I thought that was for people way smarter than me – but the people I worked with there? All of them had PhDs.” During her PhD, Katie became fascinated with quantum engineering, which led her to Argonne.

At Argonne, Katie specializes in the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), a high-tech tool with such precision to grow materials one atomic layer at a time. She is applying the MBE to quantum memory, hoping that it will provide quantum computers (which lack working memory) with materials to store information. ​“This memory is amazing, because we need to inject one single atom that is different from its surrounding crystal into the device. MBE allows us to do this. Basically, I work with the coolest tool, and it lets me do my favorite thing: grow new materials.”

Katie advises STEM-interested students to study not only STEM topics, but also English, rhetoric, and other communication courses. ​“Notice the times when you pay attention and when you don’t – and think about why. When someone is writing or presenting, what made you pay attention? What made you care?” she said. ​“These skills are essential to being an effective communicator and thus a better scientist. After all, how can we share science with not only scientists but the public if we cannot communicate it clearly?”

On a more personal level, Katie emphasizes the importance of being flexible in your goals, because it allows ample room for self-kindness. ​“You are the only one who can make yourself happy. No one else is in control of how you respond or how you feel,” she said. ​“Learning to have a philosophy of kindness and patience to not only yourself but to others around you is what brought me a sense of gratitude, happiness, and confidence. While earning my Ph.D., I discovered that what I really wanted was just to be happy. And I still am today.”